Beryl strengthens into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, forecast to become a major storm

Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday as it moved southeast into the Caribbean, with forecasters warning it would become a dangerous major hurricane before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Thursday. Two.

A major hurricane is considered Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h). As of mid-afternoon Saturday, Beryl was a Category 1 storm, marking the furthest point east that a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, and a hurricane warning is in effect for St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.

“It’s amazing to see a forecast for a major (category 3 or higher) hurricane in June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this easternmost part of the deep tropics. #Beryl is quickly prepare on the warmest sea ever recorded at the end of June,” storm expert Michael Lowry in Florida posted on X.

Sabu Best, director of the island’s meteorological service, said the center of storm Beryl was forecast to pass about 26 miles (45 kilometers) south of Barbados. Forecasters then predicted the storm would cross the Caribbean and head toward Jamaica and eventually Mexico.

Late Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Beryl was centered about 720 miles (1,160 km) east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). It was moving west at 22 mph (35 km/h).

“The storm is now forecast to rapidly intensify,” the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said.

Atmospheric scientist Tomer Burg noted that Beryl was just a tropical depression with winds of 35 mph on Friday.

“This means that according to preliminary data, Beryl met the criteria for rapid intensification before becoming a hurricane,” he wrote on social media platform X.

Warm waters are fueling Beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic at a record high for this time of year, according to Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorologist at the University of Miami.

According to Klotzbach, Beryl is also the strongest June tropical storm on record in the tropical Atlantic.

“We need to be ready,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address late Friday. “You and I both know that when these things happen, it’s better to plan for the worst and pray for the best.”

She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final, with India beating South Africa on Saturday in the capital Bridgetown. It is considered the biggest cricket event.

Some fans, like Shashank Musku, a 33-year-old physician living in Pittsburgh, rushed to change flights to leave before the storm hit.

Musku replied by phone that he had never experienced a storm: “I have no intention of going into one either.”

He and his wife, who were en route to India, learned about Beryl through a taxi driver who mentioned the storm.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a public address Saturday that shelters would open Sunday evening and urged people to prepare. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles and asked grocery stores and gas stations to stay open late ahead of the storm.

“There will be such a rush… if you limit the hours,” he said, apologising in advance for the government interrupting radio stations giving updates on the storm. “Cricketers have to accept that we will have to provide information… this is life and death.”

Beryl is the second named storm in what is expected to be a busy hurricane season, from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto hit the northeastern coast of Mexico with heavy rains that killed four people.

Lowry noted that in records dating back to 1851, only five named storms ever formed in June in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean, and only one was a hurricane. He said one was the first storm of 1933, the most active hurricane season on record.

Mark Spence, a motel manager in Barbados, said by phone that he was calm ahead of the approaching storm.

“It’s the season. You can get a storm at any time,” he said. “I’m always prepared. I always have enough food in the house.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2024 hurricane season will likely be much higher than average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. Up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes are forecast.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, including 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.

Beryl is expecting up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain in Barbados and surrounding islands, and a warning for storm surges up to 13 feet (4 meters) is in effect. A storm surge of up to 7 feet (2 meters) is also forecast.

The storm is approaching the southeastern Caribbean just days after the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago suffered major flooding in its capital Port-of-Spain due to an unrelated weather event.

Caribbean leaders are not only worried about Beryl, but also about a line of storms closely tracking Beryl that have a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression by the middle of next week.

Meanwhile, an unnamed storm in early June brought more than 20 inches (50 cm) of rain to some areas of South Florida, leaving many motorists stranded on flooded streets and pushing water into some houses in low-lying areas.